I got my first sampling of Asian telenovelas with the TV series "Meteor Garden" which was an adaption from a popular Japanese manga called Hana Yori Dango by Kamio Dango.

Meteor Garden is the story of a young, poor, but strong-headed girl named Shan Chai (Barbie Hsu), a student of Taiwan’s Ying De University, which is a school for the upper class founded and funded by the F4’s family. The four most popular and affluent boys who call themselves F4 (The Flower Four) developed a unique relationship with Shan Chai.

No one in university could be safe if they messed up with the F4 which consists of: the spoilt, obnoxious, short-tempered Dao Ming Si (Jerry Yan) who is actually sweet on the inside; the serious, calm, but sharp-witted Hua Zhe Lei (Vic Zhou Yu Min) who expresses his emotions through the beautiful music he plays on his violin; Xi Men (Ken Zhou), the playboy with a romantic heart; and Mei Zuo (Vaness Wu), the sly and party freak who values friendship. Shan Chai was the only one brave (and foolish) enough to defy the F4 that resulted in her receiving a "red tag" that signified she was to be bullied by other people in the University.

The highlights of the show include the heart-tugging tale of Dao Ming Si’s effort to woo Shan Chai, whose eyes and heart is set on Hua Zhe Lei, and the conflicts between their completely different world of social classes and personal characteristics.

In the second installment of Meteor Garden, Shan Chai and F4 finally graduated from college. As they step into the real world, they are faced with the more serious and complicated life challenges. In Barcelona, Spain, Dao Ming Si was involved in a car accident that made him lost his memory. He comes back to Taiwan with a new love interest, Ye Sha (Michelle Alicia Saram), and tries to live a new life while taking on a journey of self-discovery as the commoner named Ah Si. Hua Zhe Lei, Xi Men, and Mei Zhuo sorted out their own lives as they stood by Shan Chai until Dao Ming Si finally regained his memory.

At the height of the popularity of Meteor Garden, I was working at Global Sources in Makati so I wasn’t able to follow the series on TV. Intead I relied on the trusty radio of my officemate Deejay and we would pause from 5:30 to 6 PM to listen to the simultaneous telecast over ABS-CBN’s radio station. I looked forward to those episodes everyday and I was a bit obsessed with the feisty Shan Chai and her roller coaster-like love affair with Dao Ming Si and the reserved Hua Zhe Lei.

After the season ended, they showed it again, billing it as "Meteor Garden Rewind" every Saturday and Sunday and only then did I get to watch the episodes on TV.

I was so caught up with the MG Mania that I even went to one of their concerts held at the Open Field at The Fort. It featured Jerry Yan (Dao Ming Si) and Vic Zhou Yu Min (Hua Zhe Lei), as well as Barbie Hsu (Shan Chai) and her sister. It was a fun event and was hosted by Ai-ai De Las Alas who changed into one outrageous costue after another every time she left the stage.

I also loved the part when Bayani Agbayani and Vhong Navarro pittted their hit songs, Otso-Otso and Pamela One, against each other. When Jerry Yan and Vic Zhou came out to perform, we stood up on our chairs in an effort to see them better. After the show, they lit the sky with amazing fireworks.

Why am I reminiscing all of these? It’s because Channel 2 will again be airing the famed Chinovela, this time billing it as "Meteor Garden — The Full Edition."

TV screenshot  taken using my Smart Amazing Phone

Update: Meteor Garden — The Full Edition is now being shown right before TV Patrol at ABS-CBN, from Mondays to Fridays.